Nelson Santovenia

Last updated

Nelson Gil Santovenia Mayol (born July 27, 1961) is a Cuban former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as a catcher from 1987 to 1993. He played college baseball at the University of Miami. He is currently the hitting coach for the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Contents

High school and college

Santovenia attended high school at Miami Southridge High School, graduating in 1979. [1] Upon graduation, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round of the 1979 amateur draft, but did not sign with them. [2] Santovenia played college baseball for Miami Dade College for two years, then transferred to the University of Miami. [3] In 1980, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [4] He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft, but did not sign with the team. [2] In his one year at Miami, Santovenia was a member of the Miami Hurricanes baseball championship team in 1982. In the final game of the 1982 College World Series, Miami beat Wichita State University, 9–3, and Santovenia was named to the all-tournament team for his role in the series. [5] As a result of his playing he was drafted in the secondary phase of the 1982 draft, again by the Expos, with the 19th pick in the first round. [2]

Professional career

Upon signing with the Expos, Santovenia spent his first season as a member of the West Palm Beach Expos, playing alongside future star Andrés Galarraga. He played 40 games in West Palm Beach in 1982, and spent the full 1983 season with the Memphis Chicks. [3] After spending the 1984 season with the Jacksonville Suns, he spent the next two seasons moving between the AA-level Suns and the AAA-level Indianapolis Indians. [3] Santovenia spent most of the 1987 season with the Suns, playing 117 games for them. He had a batting average of .279, hit 19 home runs, and had a slugging percentage of .467. [3]

Santovenia made his major league debut on September 16, 1987, against the New York Mets. [2] He came in to give regular catcher Mike Fitzgerald some rest, and caught the ninth inning; his second and final appearance of the season came two days later against the Philadelphia Phillies, when he came in as a pinch hitter, getting his only at-bat of the season. [6]

The following two seasons saw Santovenia splitting time at catcher with Fitzgerald. On July 28, 1989, Vince Coleman of the St. Louis Cardinals was caught stealing by Santovenia, ending Coleman's Major League streak of 50 consecutive stolen bases. [7] He played in 92 games during the 1988 Montreal Expos season with a .236 batting average and eight home runs, and played in 97 games during the 1989 Montreal Expos season with a .250 batting average. [2] However, by 1990 Santovenia's average had dipped below the mendoza line. He hit .190 that season in 59 games, and in 1991 he split time between Indianapolis and Montreal, hitting .261 and .250, respectively. [3]

On December 9, 1991, Santovenia was released by the Montreal Expos, and on February 3, 1992, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox. [2] He played in two games for the White Sox and played 91 games with the Vancouver Canadians in 1992, then was released. He signed with the Kansas City Royals as a free agent on December 10, 1992. [2] Santovenia spent most of the season with the Omaha Royals, and spent four games with Kansas City in 1993, his final major league appearance coming on October 2, 1993. [2] After another season with Omaha, where he hit .164 in 45 games, he retired. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hubie Brooks</span> American baseball player (born 1956)

Hubert "Hubie" Brooks is an American former professional baseball right fielder, third baseman, and shortstop. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1980 to 1994 for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, and Kansas City Royals. Brooks was selected third overall in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Mets and went on to play for five different teams over a 15-year career, and was twice named an All-Star. MLB pitcher Donnie Moore was Brooks' cousin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Johnson (catcher)</span> American baseball player (born 1971)

Charles Edward Johnson Jr. is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball with the Florida Marlins, the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998), the Baltimore Orioles (1999–2000), the Chicago White Sox (2000), the Colorado Rockies (2003–2004), and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Lyons (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1960)

Barry Stephen Lyons is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 1995 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, and Chicago White Sox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Schneider</span> American baseball player (born 1976)

Brian Duncan Schneider, nicknamed "Hoops", is an American former professional baseball catcher and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies. Schneider was the Miami Marlins catching coach from 2016 through 2019, and the quality control coach for the Mets from 2020 through 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrin Fletcher</span> American baseball player (born 1966)

Darrin Glen Fletcher is an American former professional baseball catcher and sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1989 to 2002 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Montreal Expos, and Toronto Blue Jays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Wallach</span> American baseball player

Timothy Charles Wallach, nicknamed "Eli", is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman, most notably for the Montreal Expos from 1980 to 1992. A five-time All-Star, Wallach excelled as an offensive and as a defensive player, winning 2 Silver Slugger Awards and 3 Gold Glove Awards. In addition to the Expos, he also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels and coached for the Dodgers and Miami Marlins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Cromartie</span> American baseball player

Warren Livingston Cromartie is an American former professional baseball player best remembered for his early career with the Montreal Expos. He and fellow young outfielders Ellis Valentine and Andre Dawson were the talk of Major League Baseball (MLB) when they came up together with the Expos in the late seventies. Nicknamed "Cro" and "the Black Samurai" in Japan, he was very popular with the fans in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He won the 1989 Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award during his career playing baseball in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buck Rodgers</span> American baseball player and manager (born 1938)

Robert Leroy "Buck" Rodgers is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Los Angeles / California Angels for nine seasons during the 1960s. He later managed three major-league teams: the Milwaukee Brewers, Montreal Expos, and California Angels, compiling a managerial record of 784–774 (.503).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Candaele</span> American baseball player (born 1961)

Casey Todd Candaele is an American former utility player and professional baseball coach. His mother, Helen Callaghan St. Aubin and her sister, Marge Callaghan, played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was depicted in the movie A League of Their Own. Candaele and his mother represent the only mother/son combination to have both played professional baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Foli</span> American baseball player

Timothy John Foli is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels and New York Yankees from 1970 to 1985. At age 17, Foli was the first pick in the Major League Baseball Draft in 1968 and went on to be a member of the 1979 World Series champion Pirates. Foli was known as a fiery player who was a reliable fielder but only an average hitter. Foli was a free swinger, especially in 1982 when he walked only 14 times, the lowest total ever for 150 or more games played. His free swinging did not aim for the fences, however, as he averaged less than two home runs per season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Foote</span> American baseball player (born 1952)

Barry Clifton Foote is an American former professional baseball player, scout, coach, and minor league manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Montreal Expos (1973–1977), Philadelphia Phillies (1977–1978), Chicago Cubs (1979–1981), and New York Yankees (1981–1982). Although he was highly regarded as a younger player, he suffered numerous injuries and played most of his baseball career as a reserve player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Bailey (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1961)

John Mark Bailey is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1984 to 1992 for the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Goodwin</span> American baseball player (born 1953)

Danny Kay Goodwin is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and designated hitter from 1975 to 1982. He also played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league with the Nankai Hawks in 1986. Goodwin is the only baseball player to be drafted first overall in the Major League draft in two separate drafts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Blackwell (baseball)</span> American baseball player

Timothy P. Blackwell is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and minor league manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1983 for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Montreal Expos. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. Blackwell was known as a light-hitting, defensive specialist with good pitch-calling skills and possessed a strong, accurate throwing arm.

Gilberto Rolando Reyes Polanco is a former catcher in Major League Baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Stenhouse</span> American baseball player (born 1958)

Michael Steven Stenhouse is an American former outfielder, first baseman, and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Montreal Expos from 1982-1984, the Minnesota Twins in 1985, and the Boston Red Sox in 1986. Stenhouse is the CEO of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a public policy think tank. Listed at 6'1", 195 lb., Stenhouse batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He is the son of pitcher Dave Stenhouse.

The 1987 Montreal Expos season was the 19th season in franchise history. They finished third in the National League East with a 91–71 record and 4 games behind the Cardinals.

Roger Victor LaFrançois is an American former professional baseball player. He played for the Boston Red Sox of the Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher in 1982. Listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 215 pounds (98 kg), he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He spent the entire 1982 season on Boston's MLB roster, but played infrequently as a third-string catcher behind Gary Allenson and Rich Gedman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Hunt (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1960)

James Randall Hunt is a former Major League Baseball catcher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Tamargo</span> American baseball player (born 1951)

John Felix Tamargo is a former Major League Baseball catcher and coach and long-time minor league manager. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors from 1976 until 1980. He currently serves as the Latin America Field Coordinator for the Seattle Mariners organization.

References

  1. "Spartan Alumni". Spartan-baseball.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Nelson Santovenia Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nelson Santovenia Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  4. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. Madden, W. C.; Stewart, Patrick J. (January 2004). The College World Series. McFarland & Company. p. 145. ISBN   0-7864-1842-7.
  6. "Nelson Santovenia 1987 Batting Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  7. "Cards blank Expos; steal streak ends". Chicago Tribune . July 29, 1989. p. 5.
Nelson Santovenia
Coach Santovenia (7588473526) (cropped).jpg
Santovenia with the Gulf Coast League Tigers in 2012
Catcher
Born: (1961-07-27) July 27, 1961 (age 62)
Pinar del Río, Cuba
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 16, 1987, for the Montreal Expos
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1993, for the Kansas City Royals